We had a moment to chat with Avery Henley CEO of Henley Productions. Check out his full interview below and be sure to let us know what you think on our Instagram @JukeboxCulture
Where are you from and how was life growing up? I grew up in a small city called Adel Ga. The city is small and only has one stop light, but it’s home. Growing up, there wasn’t much to do because there wasn’t much there so I really had to have a lot of imagination and be very creative which kept me out of trouble that was available to any kid that didn’t keep themselves busy.
What got you into filming and what year did you start in? I was always creative. In the beginning I drew and painted portraits, but in 2010, my Junior year of high school, some wrestling buddies and I teamed up for a Literature Assignment. Like most irresponsible highschoolers interested in only girls and sports, we waited until the day before it was due to work on the project. To make matters worse I was the only person who had read the material we were supposed to be covering. So I decided to write a comedy sketch of the material. We shot it on a phone and edited it in Windows Movie Maker. We did this all in about 10 hours and to our surprise received the highest grade on the project the next day. A week later I was visited by an Art Institute Representative who spoke to me about what I would study once I graduated. Animation was my first choice but when asked about a minor I looked over the list and saw videography. After the Rep confirmed that shooting videos was an art, animation became my minor. Since that day I’ve been producing videos.
What was your first Camera/Lens? My first camera was an $80 camera from Radioshack. My parents were separated at this point, and though I was only 16 I had to pay bills to help my mom so that was all I could afford at the time. The lens wasn’t interchangeable. For most people who start today that would be like having nothing or an old cell phone but I was just happy to have something I could create with. I didn’t upgrade until I ran it into the ground and it was absolutely necessary to buy something else. It’s crazy to think that I started out with an $80 camera and now I work with cameras costing as much as $100,000.
When did you get to go full time as a videographer? I love this question because of the story I get to tell to answer it. When I was 23 years old I worked overnight for Walmart. I was one of if not the hardest worker there. I had an ongoing issue with one of the managers whose antics got worse after reporting him to a higher manager. So one week I got hired to shoot an event at Valdosta State University. Since the event took place at night I would have to go a few hours before the event started to set up cameras and go over logistics with a team. I would then head back to work (which was a 30 minute drive) and proceed to work until 7am the next morning. I would get a few hours of sleep and then wake up and repeat all of this. So I was super tired and running on fumes but to add to it this manager kept finding reasons to make my job even harder. One night he called me into the office and talked down to me for about an hour straight threatening to fire me. I responded with “To be honest with you I don’t need this job. If I gave my full attention to what I do on the side I would make twice as much” Now, I didn’t believe this statement myself, but I didn’t love the fact that someone felt like they held my life in their hands. He confidently called my bluff. Instead of recanting my statement I decided to have faith and walk out. The next day I made $600. The day after I made $850, and the day after that I made $700. So in three days shooting videos I made what would have taken me over 2 months to make at Walmart.
What was your first “big gig” and how did you land it? I’ve had a lot of gigs that could be considered big. I was once hired to shoot for the opening act of Rick Ross which was pretty cool and I also was hired for some IG edits for Taylor Gang and Wiz Khalifa but as far as big in the sense of the amount of work I did, my work with Jonathan Mcreynolds comes to mind. So Jonathan Mcreynolds is a Grammy Winning Gospel artist who brought me on as his Videographer for his “Make More Room” Tour. Jonathan traveled over 10 states and 13 cities performing for some of the most fanatical fans I’d ever seen. I created a video for each show, was able to go to an Awards show in Vegas where he won 5 dove awards, and met tons of people like Justin Bieber, Terry Crews, Kirk Franklin, Mali Music and a ton of others who recognized the work I was doing for Jon. The tour manager for Jon had gotten my name from the owner of a clothing brand in Atlanta Ga that I occasionally do work for.
Coming up, what struggles did you face as a beginner? The biggest struggles I would say was not having much and disbelief in what I was doing from the people closest to me. The latter didn’t discourage me mentally. I have always been the type to see the vision decades before others, but because people in my family and friends looked at my career as a hobby hardly anyone would invest in me. That partnered with having a high taste for cinematic visuals put me in a low mood at times. I would see things that were done in high budget videos that I would want to do as well but with little to no budget. These were definitely struggles but I believe that these problems also molded me into the creative I am today. If I’d had access to high end gear I wouldn’t be as innovative.
Which do you enjoy more, shooting or editing? I without a shadow of doubt love shooting more. I love editing too when its a dope project but shooting is where I get to interact and collaborate with other creatives to produce what’s in my head. Directing an artist, finding out what their strengths and weaknesses are, and communicating with the camera operator how to move so it matches the energy of the performer are some of the many things that I love about shooting.
What’s your current favorite video you’ve shot/edited and why? So my favorite video I’ve shot isn’t the same as the one I’ve edited. This is because I haven’t edited it yet. Haha. My favorite video I’ve edited is “I Try” by Doe Jones. Doe is an amazing singer signed to Sony. It was my favorite to edit because the video came out exactly the way I envisioned it. When I heard the song and wrote the treatment I wanted to do something that had a Dreamgirls or Black Swan vibe and Doe is such an amazing performer that it came out perfect to me. With that being said I just shot a visual for an upcoming artist named Max that I believe is on a whole new level!
What is your most viewed video to date? My most viewed video is “Glock 19” by Baby Fendi. We shot that video about 3 years ago and its sitting at 6 Million Views.
Who’s some of your favorite industry artists you’ve worked with so far
and describe the experience: My favorite artists I’ve worked with are Jonathan Mcreynolds, Wiz Khalifa, and Doe Jones. I mostly enjoy working with artists who are great performers. Because I frequently work with independent artists who haven’t quite found themselves yet I have to work twice as hard directing them. It’s not all bad because most of the time I’m able to help these young artists grow. The other good thing is it makes me a better director, but when I work with artists who are very seasoned in performing we can focus on other areas of production and produce something amazing. Though he’s not an artist, another honorable mention would be Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey. He was super down to earth and easy to work with.
What do you do when you feel a creative-block?When I have a creative block there are one of three things I normally do. I either listen to music or watch a movie or a show. Seeing someone else’s art motivates me a lot of the time. Sometimes this may not help and if these two don’t get me moving I get out and do something active. Sometimes you have to focus on living a little and not trying to create.
Biggest goals for 2021? My biggest goal is to get nominated for a music video award. That is my ultimate goal.
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